The California Air Resources Board has approved the first car for sale in California that meets CARB’s most stringent smog-emission standard to date.

The 2014 Honda Plug-In Hybrid Accord produces only 20 milligrams of combined smog-forming emissions per mile. This makes it the first gasoline-powered car in California to meet what is known as the “SULEV20” standard, the most stringent in the nation and one-third cleaner (in terms of smog-forming pollution) than the previous lowest state standard.

In addition, this Honda model has lower greenhouse gas emissions than the fleet average standard required by all cars in 2025, the equivalent of a 50-percent reduction from current required levels.

Honda has a history of being the first manufacturer to comply with California’s strict emission standards. In 1995, the 1996 Civic was the first certified Low Emission Vehicle (LEV) gasoline vehicle. In 1997, the 1998 Accord was the first ultra-low emission vehicle (ULEV) gasoline vehicle. The following year, in 1999, the 2000 Accord was the first certified Super Ultra-low

As a result of the advanced technology in its design, the full-size sedan model achieves 124 MPGe (miles per gallon equivalent) in city driving and 105 MPGe highway in hybrid mode. When using its gasoline engine only, mileage is 47 MPG city / 46 MPG highway, CARB says.

The low emissions standards that this Honda model meets are part of the California’s “Advanced Clean Cars” package of regulations, adopted in January 2012, that will ensure increasingly cleaner cars for sale in the state, and provide for increased choices of zero-emission vehicles.

When fully in force in 2025, the new set of standards will reduce smog-causing pollutants from low-emission vehicles 75 percent from current levels, and greenhouse gases by 34 percent, CARB predicts.